Historical Events
1804 – Forty merchantmen are wrecked when a convoy led by HMS Apollo runs aground off Portugal.
1877 – 1st Easter egg roll held on White House lawn
1960 – Cuba buys oil from USSR
1981 – Heavy battle between Christian militia and Syrian army in East Lebanon
1986 – NYC Mayor Ed Koch signs and brings the Gay Rights Bill into effect
1993 – Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mark Price has his consecutive free throw streak end at 77, during a 114-113 loss at Charlotte; falls 1 short of Calvin Murphy’s NBA record of 78 straight free throws
Famous Birthdays
1735 – Christian Gotthilf Tag, German composer, born in Beierfeld, Germany (d. 1811)
1781 – Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Indian yogi and religious leader, born in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India (d. 1830)
1805 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author of 150 fairy tales (The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen), born in Odense, Denmark (d. 1875)
1814 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor of weaving machine, born in West Boylston, Massachusetts (d. 1879)
1911 – Charles “Honi” Coles, American actor and tap dancer (Tito Suarez-Dirty Dancing), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1992)
1983 – Felix Borja, Ecuadorian soccer forward (22 caps; El Nacional), born in San Lorenzo, Ecuador
Famous Deaths
1416 – Ferdinand I the Righteous, King of Aragon and Sicily, dies at 52
1705 – Johann Löhner, German composer, dies at 59
1941 – Pál Teleki, prime minister of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1 and 1939-41), dies at 61
1956 – Chester Clute, actor (Niagara Falls), dies at 65
1958 – Josei Toda, Japanese second president of the Buddhist association Soka Gakkai (b. 1900)
1966 – C. S. Forester, English historical novelist (Horatio Hornblower), dies at 66